Good afternoon,
I hope you have had an opportunity to attend some area meetings to get updated information for your farm this month. Since this is the winter meeting season, there are a host of meetings to let you know about as you plan your schedule for the rest of January and early February. In Hardin County, we are having a New Pesticide Applicator Training on Thursday, January 30 from 12:30-4:30 pm at the Extension office. This class is to prepare individuals for the Core and Grain & Cereal Crops categories who are planning to take the Ohio private pesticide applicator exam. Additional study is recommended before testing so contact our office at 419-674-2297 to register for this class if you would like to get your Ohio Pesticide Applicator License for the first time. See the attached news release and flyer for more information about this upcoming class. The cost of this class is $25 which includes books and refreshments.
New Pesticide Applicator Training News Release
New Pesticide Applicator Training Flyer
Are you thinking about transferring the family farm over to the next generation? There are a lot of steps in this process and you want to make sure you do everything right to make it happen smoothly. A two-day workshop about Farm Transition / Succession is planned for February 3 and 25, 2020. Participants will want to attend both days. The workshop will be held at the Mid-Ohio Energy community room which is located at 1210 Lima Street, Kenton, OH 43326. Each day the program runs from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm with registration at 9:30 am. We will have OSU Extension experts David Marrison, Peggy Hall, and also Robert Moore from Wright-Moore Law Practice as resource people for these workshops. See the attached news release, flyer and brochure for details about how to register for this opportunity. You wont want to miss it if you think your family is getting close to transitioning the farm to the next generation. Contact our office as soon as possible to register so we can make sure your family members have a seat. The cost of this series is $30 per family member which includes lunch and handouts both days.
Farm Transition Workshop News Release
Farm Transition Workshop Flyer
Farm Transition Workshop Brochure
The winter livestock banquet season is also around the corner. Hardin County is very proud to have several annual livestock banquets to recognize the youth and adults who work with the different animal species. Join us for the annual Hardin County Dairy Banquet will be held on Saturday, February 15 at 12:00 noon at the Plaza Inn Restaurant, Mt. Victory. Tickets this year are $16.00 for adults and $8 for children ages 2-10 and free for ages under 2. Junior Fair Dairy Exhibitors and Dairy Beef Feeder Exhibitors from the 2019 Hardin County Fair are eligible for a half-price ticket ($8). All tickets must be prepaid to a Dairy Service Unit ticket salesperson. The sixth annual Hardin County Horse Banquet will be held on Saturday, February 22 at the Kenton Moose Lodge. Doors will open at 5:30 pm for a silent auction to raise funds for the scholarship fund and food will be served at 6:30 pm. Banquet tickets this year are $10.00 for adults and $8.00 for youth under 18 years of age. Children age 6 and under are admitted free. I have attached the news releases for both the Dairy and Horse banquets so you can find out more information about how to attend.
The Conservation Tillage Club just had its second of four meetings this week on Soybean Diseases. If you missed that one, check out the attached news release for details about what OSU Extension Soybean Disease Specialist Anne Dorrance spoke about and plan to attend the final two breakfast meetings at the Plaza Inn in Mt. Victory on February 4 on Soil Health/Cover Crops with Hans Kok and February 18 on Implementing H2Ohio with Mark Seger. The sessions will start at 7:30 am with a complimentary buffet breakfast followed by the program at 8:00 am. Other area programs coming up that may interest you include Champaign County OSU Extension’s “Understanding Energy Use on Your Farm” with Eric Romich, OSU Extension Energy Specialist happening Wednesday, January 29 in Urbana. This event includes breakfast and a program so see the attached flyer for more details. Allen County OSU Extension is having their 2020 Allen County Ag Outlook and Agronomy Day coming up on February 6 in Lima so make sure you take a look at the attached flyer for a list of speakers and registration details.
January 21 Conservation Tillage Club News Release
Energy Use on Farm Program Flyer
2020 Allen County Ag Outlook Agronomy Day Flyer
Other upcoming local meetings include a Pork Producers meeting Tuesday (1/28) starting at 6:30 pm at Ag Credit; Farm Bureau meeting on February 4 starting at 6:30 pm at Ag Credit; and Fairboard meeting February 5 starting at 7:00 pm at the fair office. Once again I have provided ag crops article below that you may be interested in reading.
Mark
Dr. Peter Thomison Retires – Laura Lindsey
Dr. Peter Thomison, Professor and Extension State Specialist for corn production, retired from Ohio State University at the end of December 2019 after 30 years of service. Peter was an active member of OSU Extension’s Agronomic Crops Team. He contributed hundreds of timely, high-impact articles to the CORN newsletter, wrote several bulletins and Fact Sheets, and could be seen throughout Ohio during winter extension meetings and field days. Peter was at the forefront of corn production research, including corn hybrid by management interactions, causes and identification of abnormal corn ears, phenological responses of corn to heat accumulation, and agronomic performance and grain quality of specialty corn. Peter’s extension and research efforts to develop cropping systems that minimize production inputs and impact on environmental quality will have a lasting effect on extension, farmers, and the ag industry. Read more at https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2020-01/dr-peter-thomison-retires.
2019 eFields Released on January 8th – Elizabeth Hawkins, John Fulton
Now that 2019 has come to an end, many of us are ready to leave the memories of the challenges we faced last season behind. However, the weather conditions we dealt with provided us an opportunity to learn how we can be more resilient in agriculture while learning how to deal with the growing conditions experienced. The 2019 eFields Research Report highlights 88 on-farm, field scale trials conducted in 30 Ohio counties. Research topics include nutrient management, precision crop management, cover crops, and forages. Additional information about production budgets, planting progress, and the 2018 Farm Bill is also included. Find out more and how to download the eFields 19 book at https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2020-01/2019-efields-releasing-january-8th.
2020 Conservation Tillage Club Breakfast Program Dates Announced – Mark Badertscher
The 2020 Conservation Tillage Club breakfast program series began on Tuesday, January 7 at the Plaza Inn Restaurant in Mt. Victory. Each session will start at 7:30 am with a complimentary buffet breakfast followed by the program at 8:00 am. Other sessions are scheduled on January 21, February 4 and 18. On January 7, the program featured Ben Brown, Assistant Professor of Professional Practice in Agricultural Risk Management, Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Developmental Economics at The Ohio State University speaking on the Grain Marketing Outlook. Grain producers have not only had to deal with weather extremes in the past year, but also have had the market affected by policy decisions by a trade war with China and the African Swine Fever overseas. As markets develop worldwide with improved infrastructure in South America, demand also is being affected through pending trade deals with Mexico and Canada. Renewable fuel standards, prevented planting crop insurance, and Market Facilitation Plan payments have also played a role in marketing plans as farmers look for ways to improve their position with a successful 2020 crop year and implementation of the 2018 Farm Bill programs. To continue reading about the Conservation Tillage Club programs, click on https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2020-01/2020-conservation-tillage-club-breakfast-program-dates-announced.
Considerations for Stored Seed – Alexander Lindsey
Additional authors: Andrew Evans, OSU Horticulture & Crop Science and John Armstrong, Ohio Seed Improvement Association
2019 was full of challenges, including what to do with purchased seed that did not get planted. If the purchased seed was not returned and was stored with intent to use it in the 2020 season, producers should consider re-testing the seed lots for germination and possibly add a seed vigor test to help make planting decisions for 2020. Most seed germination percentages on a seed tag for agricultural seeds (like corn and soybeans) are valid for 12 months from the last date of the month in which they were completed, with the exception being cool season grasses which are valid for 15 months beyond the month of testing (Ohio Revised Code, Chapter 907.07). To finish reading this article, go to https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2020-01/considerations-stored-seed.
2019 Organic Corn Performance Test Results Available – Rich Minyo, Allen Geyer, David Lohnes, Peter Thomison
In January 2019, Ohio State University / Ohio Agriculture Research and Development Center was approached by a representative of the organic seed industry inquiring if an organic corn performance test would be possible. Organic seed suppliers were contacted to gauge their interest and gather input on test protocol. The end result, 35 organic hybrids representing 7 commercial brands were submitted for evaluation in the new Organic Corn Performance Test. The tests were conducted on certified organic fields in Apple Creek and Wooster (Fry and West Badger Farms) and intensively managed for nutrients and weed control. Each hybrid entry was evaluated using four replications per site in a randomized complete block design. Hybrids were planted either in an early or full season maturity test based on relative maturity information provided by the companies. The relative maturity of hybrid entries in the early maturity trial was 106 days or earlier; the relative maturity of hybrid entries in the full season trial was 107 days or later. The planting rate was 34,000 seeds/acre with a final stand target of 30K – 31K plants/acre. Composted manure and Chilean Nitrate were applied according to recommended cultural practices for obtaining optimum grain yields. Continue reading about the organic corn performance tests at https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2020-01/2019-organic-corn-performance-test-results-available.
Mark A. Badertscher
Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator
OSU Extension Hardin County
1021 W. Lima Street, Suite 103, Kenton, OH 43326
419-767-6037
hardin.osu.edu
